Those of you who know where Ulaanbaatar is, raise your hands and congratulations on being a world-aware citizen. For those who don't know, Ulaanbaatar is in Mongolia. When the name Mongolia comes up, what do you think Mongolia might be like? If you picture yaks and onagers, you're partially right. Do…
Faded Glory
Faded Glory
In the words of Depeche Mode, "people are people, so why should it be that you and I should get along so awfully?" This song was written in 1984 and, sadly, it feels like we're living in Orwell's 1984 all over again. To us, anyway, the past couple of years has been a…
Like you, we love to travel wherever and whenever we can. And, for the most part, that is both do-able and easy. Some places are - not surprisingly - out of the realm of reality for most of us (the North Pole for example) but out of the 195 countries on the planet,…
How naïve we have been in the past, especially when it comes to government running wild. A little test nuclear explosion in the desert? What's wrong with that? Believe it or not, this is no joke. in the 1960's, the USA had a dilemma. California, in the early 1960s, America…
Luxury flats: low, low prices.
It's rather amazing when you go from one place to another - in the same country - and then haven't a clue about what they're saying. There's regional slang, of course, which almost no-one can understand. For example, Yinz, from Pittsburgh, USA. Whaaa? That means you all (not to be mistaken with…
Oooh . . . a little chance for us to write a post about two things that we love: German cars, and the people who love them. And why, perchance, would this be interesting in the slightest to you, especially if you don't like classic cars? Well, number one, it's about history (and…
Let’s get normal.
It's not often when you have a chance to get a glimpse into history in the making, especially history that is as profound as this story is. This is a little-known tale about one of our heroes, and probably yours, too - George Harrison of The Beatles. They need no introduction, so we'll…
Most of you need no introduction to Britain and the UK in general. It's certainly one of the top travel destinations in the world. In 2019, there were 40.86 million tourist arrivals registered in the United Kingdom. But why is it so popular? Well, where do we even start? Certainly it's because…
Clean. Neat. Simple. That's the result (and perhaps the ethos) of The 605 team's approach to getting your attention. What is 605 and who are The 605 team? It's a fairly simple concept to understand, but quite an unusual one to us. You might know that the USA…
Here we go again. We're jumping forward into the past to see (for the first time for some) or relive what we recall of a past that is slowly, quietly slipping away, soon to disappear. As everything becomes digitized, it is so tempting to accept that experience as "the real thing." Just…
Hands up: who's heard of Mompox? We're willing to bet that not many have. When the star of your country is a place like Bogota, it's hard to step out of that shadow. But, as ever, Mompox is yet another city that you truly must make an effort to see. Mompox,…
That was no typo. Philadelphia is a US city that often doesn't get the love that it deserves: there are so many reasons to add this historic city to your travel list. Philadelphia, often referred to as Philly, is the largest city in the state of Pennsylvania and the sixth-most populous city…
Every place needs its day in the sun, no matter what. Humans need a place to reside, perhaps with a sense of pride, even if there is little to boast about. Some of us have the capacity and ability to jet off to places new, while others never (or rarely) experience the freedom…
What can we say about the war in Ukraine that already hasn't been said? And this applies to any country that is facing battles of this kind. Especially since we are in 2023, with the most billionaires that the world has ever had, the world should be a much better place. How…
. . . on route 66. Somewhere in the mists of our minds, that phrase must still dwell. Of course, it is a remnant of a USA that existed long ago in a time when things were not as complex as they are now for that country. The song and the promise…
The title of this post pretty much sums up me, your Matouring Admin. Our children shake their heads in shame / utter dispair when they're presented with the next history "adventure" by the parents. But, many youth today can't identify a record turntable, or a wall phone, or a slide show or even…
No, this has nothing to do with high school wrestling in the United States. That would be known as a half-Nelson. Our topic today is far more interesting in our view, especially if you're one of those who love to uncover and discover places that have long been buried, or ignored, or forgotten,…
Amsterdam is many things, but the one that stays most in people's minds is the Red Light District. It's always been a peculiar thing, as many people are intrigued, and just as many are repulsed. It certainly is a litmus test for your values. But, at the end of the day, it's…